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Sheree Young

Konica Minolta announces new parental leave policy

12 September, 2019

Konica Minolta has unveiled a new parental leave policy which grants mothers and fathers 12 weeks’ paid parental leave which can be used at any point up until the child turns three.

In a bid to remove gender stereotypes, the labels of ‘primary’ or ‘secondary’ carer have also been eliminated in the policy which also grants 12 weeks’ paid leave up until the third anniversary of adoption up to the adopted child’s sixteenth birthday.

The leave can be taken in any way, or at any time that best suits the family, over the first three years.

The policy has been announced in recognition of the active role both mothers and fathers play in raising children and is part of Konica Minolta’s wish to create a more equal and supportive environment for all parents in the workplace.

“Welcoming a new child into the family is one of the best times of any person’s life, and it is simply unfair for only one parent to have the benefit of 12 weeks paid leave to enjoy this time,” Dr David Cooke, managing director – Australia, Konica Minolta, said.

“We believe that separating parents into primary and secondary categories, which are so often allocated to women and men respectively, not only reinforces entrenched gender roles, but has the knock-on effects of men finding it more difficult to request parental leave, and women being apprehensive about returning to work due to career stagnation.

“Konica Minolta wants to eliminate discrimination and bias wherever possible, and this can be as simple as removing irrelevant titles and offering every employee the same benefits. Making parental leave non-gendered means that every new parent is offered the same opportunities for paid leave.”

Benton Johnson, business analyst, Konica Minolta Australia, said, “As a parent, knowing that I have support to take the time to spend with a newborn and support my partner is priceless. When my son was born I had five weeks off, which at the time was considered by many as a long time. This was a combination of annual and unpaid leave. With my daughter, who is now two, I wasn’t able to take as much time. With this new policy I can now plan some additional time with her. This is a fantastic policy change that will make a real difference for families.”

In September 2019, Konica Minolta Australia also released its 2019 Gender Equality Strategy, aimed at refocusing its commitment to equality in the workplace.

“As a company that cares deeply about and strives for equality in everything we do, Konica Minolta believes that it’s our duty to adjust and adapt to the changing needs of our employees and the communities in which we operate, and to ensure we remain on the forefront of best practice,” Dr Cooke said.

“Our commitment to improving our practice and pushing hard to realise gender equality has resulted in three consecutive Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citations, as well as the 2018 Human Rights in Business Award from the Australian Human Rights Commission. We are extremely proud of, and humbled by, these recognitions, and are motivated to work even harder towards improving practice not only within Konica Minolta but within our industry.”

Key features of the policy include:

removal of the labels of primary and secondary carer to eliminate stereotypes

provision of 12 weeks’ paid parental leave to any parent welcoming a new child into the family, with leave available:
o until the child’s third birthday; or
o until the third anniversary of adoption, up to the adopted child’s sixteenth birthday.

leave can be taken in any way, or at any time that best suits the family, over the first three years.

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One thought on “Konica Minolta announces new parental leave policy”

That’s great if your a multi national and the shareholders are paying for it, it would force me into outsourcing and cutting staff. With 14 staff members already it’s difficult enough having to cover annual leave.

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